She shares her story with momlogic.
When mom Donna Schwartz Mills tipped the scales at 184 pounds, she knew she had to do something about it. Fast. But, as a busy working mom, she just didn't have time to go to the gym. So she tried her daughter's Wii Boxing video game ... and lost 56 pounds!
Momlogic met up with Donna at Whole Foods in Pasadena as she participated in a Nintendo cooking competition. The event, hosted by David Ruprecht of Supermarket Sweep, challenged the contestants to find the ingredients and cook a meal all with the help of the new "Personal Trainer: Cooking" for Nintendo DS game. When the competition was over, we asked Donna why she credits Wii Boxing with helping her get fit.
momlogic: What was the moment that you decided to lose weight and getting healthy?
Donna Schwartz Mills: A friend of mine, who was my age, had a stroke. She has always been very healthy. She is a runner. She took care of herself. I thought, this woman should not be having a stroke, I'm the one who should be having the stroke. That was the impetus.
ml: What made you want to lose weight through Wii?
Donna: I ended up signing up for a weight loss clinic. The years of yo-yo dieting weren't doing any good. I knew I had to get serious.They were telling me to exercise. Basically I was trying to avoid going to the gym. Every day, they would ask me, 'What activity have you done today?' And I hadn't done anything, so I fired up my daughter's Wii and tried boxing. I did that for a couple weeks and it helped motivate me. It got me moving and I started going to the gym. It got me inspired. And any time I couldn't get to the gym, I would do at least fifteen minutes on the Wii.
ml: What other exercise did you try that didn't work?
Donna: Walking uphill, in the smog, in the middle of July in the heat ... that wasn't fun. I need air conditioning!
ml: Had your weight gone up since you gave birth to your daughter?
Donna: Having a child at forty and then trying to lose the weight was hard. The weight gain was gradual. Before I knew it, I weighed 184 pounds!
ml: Would you recommend Wii Boxing and Wii Fit to other moms?
Donna: Yes, I would. Wii Boxing is fun. It can get you moving. When my trainer went on vacation, I worked out with Wii Fit and did lunges and other exercises. I thought, 'Hey, this is working my glutes.' And I like being able to chose my trainer on the Wii Fit.
ml: Do you play Wii with your daughter?
Donna: No, she beats me. Mostly I play when no one is around to make fun of me. My daughter is so much better than me at everything. She is a competitive gymnast. She has great balance, grace, poise, stamina...
ml: What is your advice to other moms who want to get fit?
Donna: Trial and error. See what works for you. If it is something you don't like, you are not going to stick with it. Also what worked for you in your 20s might not work for you in your 40s. Give yourself permission to try new things. You never know what's going to happen. If you told me two years ago that I was going to lose 56 pounds and be featured in People magazine, I never would have believed you. Yet, here I am.
Do you use your kid's Wii for workouts? Comment below.
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